Aureus 284, AV 6.58 g. IMP NVMERIANVS P F AVG Laureate and cuirassed bust r., with drapery on l. shoulder. Rev. VENE – RI VICTRICI Venus standing facing, head l., holding Victory and apple. C 93. RIC Carus 405e. Biaggi 1662 (this coin). Calicó 4319 (this coin).
Very rare. Graffito on obverse and minor marks in reverse field and
on edge, otherwise about extremely fine / extremely fine
Ex NAC sale 49, 2008, Biaggi de Blasys, 411. Privately purchased from Ratto in March 1960.
When Numerian’s father Carus died under mysterious circumstances near the river Tigris, the great offensive father and son had been leading against the Sasanians ground to a halt. Ancient sources tell us Carus died from a lightning strike, but modern historians are sceptical: most believe he was murdered by his prefect Aper. Until that point the campaign had been a great success, as father and son had not only defeated the Quadi and Sarmatians on their eastward trek, but in 283 they had sacked Ctesiphon. The 30-year-old Numerian might have been competent, but he was now in an awkward position, surrounded by ambitious subordinates and an army paralyzed by superstition. Whether he was startled by his father’s mysterious death, uncomfortable with supreme authority, or if he wisely reacted to a change in military circumstances, Numerian made a quick and unfavorable peace with the Persian king Varhan II and led the bulk of his army on a westward retreat. On that arduous journey to meet his brother, Carinus, who was ruling in the West, Numerian died – again under mysterious circumstances. This is a familiar tale of the late third century, and it is only of historical interest because one of his commanders Diocles, better known as Diocletian, was elected emperor in his place. As a consequence the Roman world was to be completely reordered and stabilized, ushering in the foundations of the social and political institutions of the Dark Ages and the Medieval world.